In the beginning, black theatre wasn't quite voluntary. In the 16 and 1700's, when slaves were being brought to America, they were made to act in order to entertain the crew members during their passage to America. Their acting showed the traders and owners that the Africans were rich in heritage, so it would be important for these to have a contribution to American culture. In the late 1700's, specifically 1769, African American plays were introduced to the American public, like The Padlock and Harlequin. These plays were less African American theatre, and more geared on African American actors that they could display in a negative way. It took 7 years for a play to show a more accurate, less biased depiction of African Americans in 1776 with John Leacock's The Fall of the British Tyranny. Later, in the 1800's, the first black-written novel, The Escape, or A Leap to Freedom, became the first true black play in America. Because the author, William Wells Brown, was once defined as property through slavery, he almost could not publish his work because his work was considered to be the property of who once owned him. This was overturned by John Brown and the novel was published. The play was never brought to stage, but the founding of the African Grove theatre helped give more opportunities for blacks to perform characters that were not just caricatures of themselves. Later, a popular novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin was brought to the theatre scene, which gave playgoers attended so much that the National Theatre announced a special section for African Americans too. This play was so popular that it became a film.
Although these plays gave African American theatre a good reputation, there was still the issue of Minstrelsy. These were white performers corking their faces to be black, making it seem like a white man can do the role of a black man better than a black actor. This was their way of poking fun at the blacks, calling them lazy and giving them stereotypes to follow for years to come. With the popularity of black caricature in theatre being prominent, black musicals began to flood the scene in the late 1800's, specifically with John W. Isham's Creole Show. These plays showed the capabilities of the African American actors, breaking the minstel tradition in 1898. These plays continued to gain popularity over the years with In Dahomey and BandanaLand in the early 1900's. Flashing forward, the Harlem Renaissance became a boom for African American culture. This was called the "New Negro" period of intellectual and cultural awakening. Harlem plays became so popular that people from out of town would come see them, instead of all flocking to just broadway. This lead to racial awareness in theatre, with a philosophy of black theatre being "about us, by us, for us". This lead to the creation of black theatre groups like The Toussaint Players and the Harlem Experimental. The first African American to earn a living from writing was Langston Hughes, who wrote many successful and serious plays about black life, basically becoming the father of the Harlem Renaissance. With the depression coming about, Franklin D. Roosevelt created federal theaters that employed African Americans, giving them more opportunity to represent themselves while earning a living. In the 50's and 60's, black theatre became a part of the more commercial scene, rather than just being in federal theatres or in Harlem. They were able to reach more audiences, but the plays still seemed more to entertain the white people. This created the "black aesthetic", creating a movement in which the plays must be almost revolutionary. African American plays were aimed to bring their true culture to life, all while showing the true capabilities of the black actors and writers. From history to current social issues, black theatre must be supported by the community if it wants to survive and keep getting its messages out effectively. Although the 70's brought the quality of black theatre even higher, there is always room for improvement in a theatre that is ever changing with the times.
In my opinion, I would not consider Fires in the Mirror to be a truly black theatre play. It does accurately depict the characters in their words and mannerisms, but there should be more than one actor so that it's not a white person trying to depict a black person or vice versa. The play shows both sides of the African American and Jewish argument, but I personally feel like it was leaning more towards the African Americans being the perpetrators and being less understanding, starting riots and Jew-hating. It seemed a little bit biased based on the situation. I am neither Jewish nor black, but I sensed some bias in the writing and interviews that made me feel like this was not for the black theatre.
Although these plays gave African American theatre a good reputation, there was still the issue of Minstrelsy. These were white performers corking their faces to be black, making it seem like a white man can do the role of a black man better than a black actor. This was their way of poking fun at the blacks, calling them lazy and giving them stereotypes to follow for years to come. With the popularity of black caricature in theatre being prominent, black musicals began to flood the scene in the late 1800's, specifically with John W. Isham's Creole Show. These plays showed the capabilities of the African American actors, breaking the minstel tradition in 1898. These plays continued to gain popularity over the years with In Dahomey and Bandana Land in the early 1900's. Flashing forward, the Harlem Renaissance became a boom for African American culture. This was called the "New Negro" period of intellectual and cultural awakening. Harlem plays became so popular that people from out of town would come see them, instead of all flocking to just broadway. This lead to racial awareness in theatre, with a philosophy of black theatre being "about us, by us, for us". This lead to the creation of black theatre groups like The Toussaint Players and the Harlem Experimental. The first African American to earn a living from writing was Langston Hughes, who wrote many successful and serious plays about black life, basically becoming the father of the Harlem Renaissance. With the depression coming about, Franklin D. Roosevelt created federal theaters that employed African Americans, giving them more opportunity to represent themselves while earning a living. In the 50's and 60's, black theatre became a part of the more commercial scene, rather than just being in federal theatres or in Harlem. They were able to reach more audiences, but the plays still seemed more to entertain the white people. This created the "black aesthetic", creating a movement in which the plays must be almost revolutionary. African American plays were aimed to bring their true culture to life, all while showing the true capabilities of the black actors and writers. From history to current social issues, black theatre must be supported by the community if it wants to survive and keep getting its messages out effectively. Although the 70's brought the quality of black theatre even higher, there is always room for improvement in a theatre that is ever changing with the times.
In my opinion, I would not consider Fires in the Mirror to be a truly black theatre play. It does accurately depict the characters in their words and mannerisms, but there should be more than one actor so that it's not a white person trying to depict a black person or vice versa. The play shows both sides of the African American and Jewish argument, but I personally feel like it was leaning more towards the African Americans being the perpetrators and being less understanding, starting riots and Jew-hating. It seemed a little bit biased based on the situation. I am neither Jewish nor black, but I sensed some bias in the writing and interviews that made me feel like this was not for the black theatre.